Guardians Reborn
by The Awesome Foursome
Summary: Just when they thought Sin was defeated, something went wrong. Now Spira is no more and 'he' became a threat to other worlds... Some time in the future, six students and cat , attending Summersville High, encounter something not native to their world.


**_A/n: To those who are reading. Welcome to our (Not Jack Frost's and BalthierFlare's) story.  
"Hee-ho, this idea had been floating around for quite some time now. At first glance, this might look just like any other 'AU-highschool' story. In reality - it's not. You won't find any sappy romance or love triangles (OK, maybe a little, but, as much as I don't want to admit it, what's a school-life without those?). When the guardians manage to stop Sin, but at he last moment something goes wrong, it becomes a threat not only to Spira, but the other dimensions as well. With Spira destroyed, somewhere in our world six students and a cat encounter something that in theory should only be possible in movies and fiction, leading to a grand adventure. Who are these students? Well, read the title again. Without further ado - let the story begin." - Not Jack Frost_**

**_"_****Hey Everyone, it's Bal-chan! :D I hope you all enjoy the story! I love working with NotJackFrost, he's a great writer and very creative. *high fives* I hope I add a new dynamic to the story, and I really hope you all love it much! Enjoy~" - BalthierFlare**

**Disclaimer: "Ready?" "Uhuh!" "One-two...!" _"We don't own Final Fantasy X and its characters!"_  
**

* * *

_I once had a dream..._

_Funny... Why did I remember about it today..._

_There was thunder and lightning... I was... I don't know. I think the place was supposed to be some kind of lobby. A small hotel, maybe?_

_There was also something red..._

_I don't remember the details, but... I was scared. And I felt safe._

_This doesn't make sense..._

_In that dream – I had a duty... It was painful, but it brought hope..._

_Oh, and the red something was actually 'somebody'. I don't know who he... yes, it's a 'he'... what connected us? Friends? Yeah... Best leave it at that..._

"Wake up..."

_Oh, and Red was saying something..._

"We're here..."

_Yeah... and I was surprised when he said my name for the first time..._

"Rikku!_"_

"Eh?! What?! Where?!"

"Say hello to your new school."

**Chapter I: New World**

Empty halls. Almost empty. No wonder – the school year hasn't yet begun. Just one more day of summer left... "Summersville Private High". Only new students and members of the student council arrived early. A day to settle in, unpack, explore the surrounding area and town. After all – they were going to be here for quite some time, so why not get comfortable?

To the new student, who had just arrived, the whole scenery was like something out of a movie. Huge old-fashioned building? Check. Large territory also known as 'school grounds'? Double check. Dorms? Nope. She was sure this is how a hotel should look instead. Maybe being dumped here wasn't that bad...

After saying good-byes to her parents, the blonde-haired junior started to make her way towards the main building, accompanied by the sound of her suitcase's wheels bouncing on every tile of the path. Apparently she was either the first one here or, what's more likely, the only one awake. Eight-freakin'-A.M.

To her surprise, somebody was waiting at the entrance. From this far (gee, why do the grounds have to be so huge?), she could tell that it was a woman. Dark haired, wearing a simple black dress with a white blouse. Next to her – a few suitcases were piled up. Noticing the newly arrived, she stood up from the stone steps, leading to the entrance, dusted off her clothes and smiled.

"Welcome to Summersville High!" on closer inspection, the dark-haired woman appeared to be a student herself. "My name is Lulu Jennings. I'm stuck... ahem... in charge of greeting new students today."

The new girl giggled and saluted her in a joking-slash-sleepy manner:

"Rikku Highwind, reporting for duty!"

A moment passed in attempt to hold back laughs, but eventually the sound of two giggles filled the air.

"Not a morning person too?"

"Definitely," Rikku nodded. The first person she met here was very friendly. A good sign. Wait a minute... what about the suitcases then? As if reading her mind, Lulu spoke:

"Another student arrived just before you," she gestured to the bags. "You can leave your stuff with me and visit the faculty office. After that I'll show you both to your rooms."

"Yes, sir!"

Dropping her backpack, Rikku scaled the steep stairway and pushed open the front door. Behind the old-fashioned exterior – the school was actually quite modern with spacious hallways, black and white tiles on the floor. Rikku looked around, noticing bright red arrows attached to the bulletin boards, lining the wall on her left. Following these directions, the blond student easily found what she was looking for. Another student had been exiting the faculty office...

That's when the feeling known as 'deja vu' struck Rikku. No, it wasn't the situation... This person... Apparently, she was staring, because her emerald gaze was met by an equally confused pair of bi-coloured eyes...

"I-is something wrong?"

Something was very familiar about this girl, but Rikku just couldn't put her finger on it. Shoulder length brown hair, about the same height as herself and multicoloured eyes...

"N-no. Have we... met before?"

The other girl tilted her head to the side.

"I don't think so..."

A few moments passed in awkward silence. Finally a few introductions were made. The other girl's name was Yuna. Yuna White, second-year. She just moved to this town and was new to this school just like Rikku was. In turn, the junior introduced herself.

"Rikku... Interesting name..."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot."

"When you asked, whether we met before," Yuna's voice held a bit of uncertainty. "You're the second person who said that today."

"Really?"

"Yeah... that student at the entrance..."

Strange. Now that Yuna mentioned it, there was something familiar about that girl...

"Speaking of which, we probably shouldn't keep her waiting."

"Oh. You're right."

Taking care of all the formalities in record time, Rikku along with Yuna back-tracked to where the 'welcoming committee' awaited them. The walk back to the entrance passed in awkward silence, allowing Rikku to think over the insane amount of deja vu she'd been having in one day. This feeling wasn't exactly alien to her. In fact, she was used to it by now. First that guy on TV... what was his name again? Tim? Ted? Whatever. Then that creepy kid that she'd been bumping into no matter where she went...

"That was surprisingly quick," the strangely-familiar-senior greeted the two approaching girls. "Get your bags and let's get this over with, shall we?" No arguments there. "And since my turn is almost over, how about I show you around town after you settle in?"

* * *

"We're getting along well, aren't we?"

"Yeah!"

"Feels like we'd known each other..."

"...forever!"

The tour of the town ended up as a session of female bonding- one of the many unexplainable things unique to that specific gender. Summersville wasn't exactly a big city, nor was it a rural town. If anyone asked you about the impression the town left, you'd probably say something along the lines of "it's average". Indeed, a peculiar air of tranquility was floating in the air like cotton candy in an amusement park. Why cotton candy, ask? Well, it's sweet, but it's kind of artificial.

Back to the girls though. Now that the two newcomers were familiar with the layout of Summersville, it was time to return to their home for the next few moths and/or years. Yuna, however, had a different idea.

"Hey, I didn't notice this shop when we passed here before."

Two pairs of eyes snapped towards the general direction Yuna was pointing in. Jammed between two rather obnoxious-looking boutiques, a small shop was situated. One display window, framed with wood, a heavy oaken door. Among the grey and neon of the rest of the street, this particular shop seemed strangely out of place. Another strange feature: the people passing by didn't seem to notice it, passing by its display without a second (or first, for that matter) glance.

"Crystal Sphere," Rikku read the sign hanging above the entrance out loud.

Without consulting among themselves, the three girls began pacing towards the small establishment, as if being pulled by some unknown force.

The crystal clear chime of the entrance bell echoed through the still, cool air of the shop. As the display hinted – an antique store. Numerous shelves lined by the most bizarre items – from ancient grimoires to those little items that people decorate their workplaces with.

"Oh, three customers?"

The 'customers' were jerked from their daze by, apparently, the owner of the shop. A woman with shoulder length night-dark hair stepped from behind a curtain separating covering a doorway leading to a hidden part of the shop.

"Oh no, we're just looking, miss," Yuna, being the most polite was the first one to respond.

The owner didn't look the very least disappointed.

"Oh, I see," a barely noticeable glint sparked in her eyes. "Customers or not, you're still the first ones to enter my humble shop. Why not try your luck?" She pointed at a large spherical bowl on the counter (and all three girls could have sworn that it wasn't there just a minute ago). "I assure you, nobody will leave here without a small souvenir."

Two minutes and three lucky draws later... By the will of some unexplainable coincidence, all three prizes were from the same set. A large velvet case emerged from the top shelf. Inside, laid out in a circle on the blue fabric, six round medallions shone in the dim light of the room. One more empty spot indicated that someone else had won the trinket that was supposed to be there. This, of course, didn't go by unnoticed by a certain blond.

"Hey, you said we were the first ones to set foot here, lady," Rikku's companions had to suppress the urge to cringe at her tactless behaviour. The woman behind the counter seemed far from offended. A melodic giggle escaped her lips.

"Aren't you observant, little one? Very well. I lied. A young man around your age stumbled upon this place earlier today," she casually flicked her hair in a dismissing gesture. "Sadly, he didn't buy anything too. Now, closing hour is almost here, so hurry and pick one."

The last part was said with mock-urgency, as if to discharge the suddenly awkward atmosphere. Not seeing any point in questioning the shopkeeper's words, the three students each picked a souvenir according to their aesthetic tastes.

* * *

"Moon, Venus and Mercury?" Yuna noted thoughtfully as the trio finally made it past the school grounds. "Does this sound familiar to anyone else?"

"I will punish you in the name of the moon!" the youngest added her two cents.

This was greeted by two 'You watched that too?' glances (not that the eldest would admit it).

"Hey, just suggesting. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a skimpy sailor suit."

The three burst into giggles, unaware that some time ago, in another world; Rikku had traveled across plains and forests wearing something that could rival the suggested costume. Yes... Some time ago...

* * *

"Four out of seven?"

"Yes, although they hadn't yet awakened their memories, the threads of fate have already bonded them together."

"Interesting..."

"The time for his arrival is growing closer though..."

"Let us pray this world will not share Spira's fate."


End file.
